


To That Once Upon a Time

by lovetheblazer



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M, crisscolfer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 22:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3464675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetheblazer/pseuds/lovetheblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles prompted on Tumblr as part of a drabble ask meme challenge. The title of each chapter is the prompt I was given.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm With You

**Author's Note:**

> lovingblainers prompted "I'm with you." Takes place during Darren's 28th birthday party.

"Heyyy, oh my god, you’re here!"Darren exclaimed, stumbling over to where Chris was standing by the door, surveying the party with an amused look on his face.

“Of course I’m here,” is all Chris said. 

“I just wasn’t sure. I mean I hoped you would come, but you know what they say, ‘when you assume you make an ass out of you and me.’ And I feel like I make an ass out of myself often enough as it is, so…” Darren babbled.

“Jesus, how drunk are you?” Chris laughed, subtly taking Darren by the arm and steering him down the hallway towards a quiet room.

“Uhh not that drunk, but it  _is_  my birthday so Lea and Chord and Joey all demanded that I take shots,” Darren explained, leaning gratefully into Chris.

“They  _demanded_  you take shots, huh?” Chris teased. “Held your mouth open and forced that top shelf tequila down your throat? You poor, poor dear.” He shut the door to Darren’s bedroom behind them, relieved when the raucous party noise faded to a dull roar.

“Hi,” Darren whispered, meeting Chris’ eyes for the first time all night, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to come?” Chris asked, slightly hurt.

“I didn’t know. Things have just been so weird between us lately and we’ve barely talked all week. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“I know,” Chris sighed. “That’s mostly my fault. I’ve just been really stressed lately. I know I took on too much, but I didn’t want to let anyone down. So anytime we’ve had even a two minute break on set, I’ve been writing because my first draft of the next book is due tomorrow.”

“Shit, that’s a tight deadline,” Darren winced. “Should you be writing right now? I don’t want to be the reason you get behind. I know how important this is to you. I know I give you a hard time sometimes, but I can be less needy and more patient,” he worried aloud.

“Shh, I sent the draft to my publisher an hour ago,” Chris soothed.

“You did? Oh my god, Chris, that’s great!” Darren enveloped him in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in Chris’ ear.

“Thanks,” Chris grinned.

“Well, this calls for a celebration,” Darren said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s go get you a drink. I think I might still have some champagne in my fridge if you want a proper toast.”

“Hang on, before we rejoin the party, I got something for you.” Chris reached down into his messenger bag, pulling out a small gift wrapped box.

“Chris, you didn’t have to…” Darren began.

“Hush, I know how much you like gifts,” Chris admonished. “Besides, it’s something small and sentimental.”

“You mean there’s not a yacht in here?” Darren bantered back.

“Just open it, dummy.”

Darren grinned, tearing into the paper eagerly. He lifted the lid off the box to reveal a neatly typed manuscript. “Is this the one you turned in tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah, I wanted you to be the first to read it,” Chris replied. “Turn to the second page.”

Darren did as instructed, finding an handwritten inscription in Chris’ familiar scrawl.

_To my Froggy,_

_Thanks for being the Prince Charming I’ve always dreamed of. I’m with you until the end of the line._

_Love always,_

_Chris_


	2. Counting Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> froggydarren prompted "Counting stars." Chris and Darren's car breaks down, but thankfully there's a killer view.

"So I’ve got good news and bad news," Darren said as he opened the passenger side door. "Which do you want first?"

"Bad news," Chris answered automatically.

"Such a pessimist," Darren tutted. "I thought we were working on that."

Chris shot Darren a murderous glare. “Alright, alright, I surrender,” he laughed, putting his hands up. “Please don’t hurt me.”

Chris grabbed Darren’s tie, tugging him forward so he could whisper in his ear. “I have it on good authority that you like it a little rough,” he purred.

"Rain check on that," Darren said, his eyes going dark. 

"That I can promise, as long as you give me the bad news sometime in the next century," Chris tapped his watch impatiently.

"Okay, okay, so bad news: the tire is definitely flat and not patchable and Triple A said it would take them an hour to an hour and a half to get a truck out here to replace the tire," Darren explained.

"So we are going to miss our reservation? And I got all dressed up for nothing?" Chris sighed.

"Not for nothing - I happen to be very much enjoying the view of you dressed up."

"Oh please," Chris scoffed, "you’d be enjoying the view if I was wearing ratty sweatpants and your Michigan t-shirt. You’re easy to please."

"So sue me for thinking my boyfriend’s cute no matter what he’s wearing," Darren said without any heat behind it.  _"You think I’m pretty without any makeup on_ ,” he began to sing. 

"I will kill you in your sleep and they will never find the body," Chris grumbled.

"Man, so grumpy tonight!"

"You know how I get when my blood sugar’s low. I’m  _starving_. I barely ate any lunch because I was trying to save all the calories for dinner and dessert.” Chris slumped forward pathetically, putting his head in his hands. “Now would be an excellent time for the good news.”

"It’s a gorgeous night out…" Darren began.

"…and?" Chris interrupted.

"And you can actually see the stars out here?"

"Stars? I didn’t think we had those in Los Angeles," Chris said dryly. 

"I know, right?" Me either. But out here away from downtown, the sky is so much clearer," Darren said dreamily.

"So what’s your proposal?" Chris asked.

"I vote we lay on the hood of the car and stargaze until the tow truck gets here."

"Isn’t it pretty chilly out right now?" Chris leaned out the open passenger door, feeling the brisk wind.

"I’ve got blankets in the trunk. Plus, I can keep you warm," Darren winked.

"Oh my god, Darren, why do you have blankets in the trunk?"

"Uhh, winter weather preparedness?" Darren tried.

"We live in Los Angeles. Try again."

"In case of impromptu picnics…or camping?" 

"I call bullshit," Chris rolled his eyes. "The truth this time."

"Okay fine, the blankets are there on the off chance I ever talked you into car sex. It’s on my bucket list," Darren looked embarrassed. 

"Oh my god, never going to happen," Chris shook his head, trying not to laugh. "But I’ll make you a deal: if you can find me something other than gum or mints to eat in this car, I’ll totally stargaze with you."

"Piece of cake!" Darren exclaimed, as he jogged around to the back of the car, retrieving two flannel blankets and gym bag. "Here you go," he said to Chris, handing him a PowerBar and a bottled water from the gym bag.

"Oh, bless you," Chris sighed gratefully. "Just FYI, I’m so not sharing the PowerBar with you."

"It’s all yours." Darren carefully spread one of the blankets across the hood of the car. He gestured for Chris to join him, helping him climb up.

Once they were both lying on their backs on the car’s hood, Darren covered them with the remaining blanket, pulling Chris close.

They were both quiet for a long moment, taking in the endless sky spread out before them. Chris was the first to speak. “Wow,” he said in a hushed, awed voice, “this is amazing.”

"Isn’t it beautiful?" Darren agreed. "I love living in a big city, but sometimes I see things like this and realize what we’re missing out on, you know?"

"Yeah, we should definitely do this more often…minus the flat tire, obviously."

"Obviously," Darren smiled. "I’m starting to wish I had actually paid attention in that Astronomy class I took so I could identify the constellations…"

"The class you took when you were at Hogwarts?" Chris teased.

"Excuse you, I’ll have you know it’s a legitimate college class I took at Michigan."

"A legit college class for people who were too lazy to take a  _real_  science course, maybe,” Chris couldn’t help but razz Darren.

"Hey, I’ll have you know I had to make the very difficult decision between taking Astronomy or Rocks for Jocks," Darren said, feigning indignation.

"Rocks for Jocks?" Chris frowned, confused.

"That’s what we called Geology at Michigan. It was the other easy science course that all the football and basketball players took."

"Ahh, I see," Chris nodded. "I’m with you. I’d rather learn about the stars than rocks any old day."

"Exactly." Darren was quiet for a moment, just taking in the view, feeling as if he and Chris were the only two people in the universe. A persistent melody that had been echoing through his brain began to take shape and before Darren even registered it, he was singing softly.

_Lately I been, I been losing sleep_   
_Dreaming about the things that we could be_   
_But, baby I been, I’ve been praying hard_   
_Said no more counting dollars, we’ll be counting stars_

"You are so ridiculous and cheesy," Chris laughed, once he realized what Darren was singing. "No more singing, you’re cut off."

"What if I want to serenade my boyfriend under the stars?" Darren pouted. "You’re no fun."

Chris said the only thing he knew would make Darren be quiet. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

 


	3. Come Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cherrypoison1889 prompted "Come home." It's Darren's last night on tour and he's not sure he can take another minute without Chris.

Darren glanced at his watch, wincing at the time:  _5:08 pm_. He knew he was running late, as his typed schedule helpfully suggested showering no later than 5 pm so he had plenty of time to dress and make his way to the VIP meet and greet with fans by 5:30 pm. Still, it was hard to motivate himself to move with the bone weary exhaustion of tour and life on the road seeping through his body. Besides, he knew his people would make the right excuses for him if he was a few minutes late to meet his fans. Right now, it was hard to think about anything other than how lonely he felt. Darren missed sleeping in his own bed, he missed being home, and most of all, he missed  _Chris_.

Instead of forcing himself to his feet and into the shower as he knew he should, he reached for his phone, dialing a number he knew by heart.

"Hello?" Chris answered at last.

"Hi," Darren smiled into the phone, voice gravelly.

"Oh, your voice sounds shot," Chris chided. "Or did you just wake up?"

"Uhh, little bit of both. It’ll be fine once I get going and get some hot tea. No worries."

"It’s after 5 and you just woke up? Jesus Darren, how much sleep did you get last night?" Chris worried aloud.

"I don’t know," Darren sighed. "Maybe an hour or two? It’s hard coming down from the adrenaline after a performance. And sharing a tour bus with a bunch of rowdy guys isn’t exactly a perfect recipe for uninterrupted sleep."

"I’m sure," Chris tutted sympathetically. "I just don’t want you to run yourself ragged. It’s not healthy."

"Thankfully tonight’s the last night. Then I can finally go home and sleep for a week," Darren chuckled.

"Yeah right, knowing you, you’ll probably throw a party or perform at local L.A. bar instead of resting," Chris teased.

"I think you are vastly underestimating just how exhausted I am." Darren ran a hand over his face, trying to scrub the sleep from his eyes. "I miss you," he said, a bit softer. "I don’t know how to sleep without you anymore."

"I’ve missed you too," Chris admitted. "But it’s the end of the road, just one more show, right?"

"Yeah, I know. It still feels like a long time to wait to see you," he sighed, overwhelmed by homesickness and longing for Chris. 

"It’s going to fly by," Chris encouraged. "Your flight gets into LAX at 7:02 pm tomorrow, right?" Darren hummed a quiet affirmation. "I’ll send a car to pick you up, okay? Unless you’d rather go home and sleep in your own bed?"

"You’re my home," Darren replied easily. "I just want to be with you."

"I’m glad," Chris beamed. "Okay, I know you need to get your ass in gear for tonight and I need to bang out the rest of this chapter, so go shower or get dressed or whatever. Then try to enjoy your last show, alright? Savor that moment because before you know it, it’ll be gone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Darren asked, amused at how much Chris had itemized his life. 

"Get some sleep.  _Real_  sleep, Darren. None of this dozing for an hour or two bullshit. Drink some whiskey or maybe even finally take one of those sleeping pills the doctor gave you if that’s what’s necessary to turn off your brain and sleep. But whatever you do, don’t combine alcohol and sleeping pills, that would be very bad,” Chris added, suddenly serious.

"Yes sir, Dr. Colfer, I’ll do exactly as prescribed," Darren laughed.

"And finally, the most important thing…"

"What’s that?" Darren inquired.

"Come home to me."

* * *

As Chris promised, the last show flew by. The crowd was electric, the band was playing tighter than they ever had before, and thankfully,  _miraculously_ , Darren’s voice had held up pretty well. Before he knew it, it was time to introduce the new song in the setlist. Tonight that song held special meaning, one that he wasn’t sharing with anyone other than the one person for whom it was intended.

Darren looked out the crowd. “Towards the end of the show, I like to do something a bit different and mix things up. People dig them for the most part, because they are good songs and you guys will recognize them most of the time. They are the ones that are like ‘I’m in a good mood, I’m going to end on this one,’” he babbled, talking around the meaning that was kept close to his heart, for obvious reasons. 

"And while this isn’t ending the set, this is ending the tour," he continued. "So I do a new song every single night. I never do the same song, or at least I try not to, on tour, so this one is just for Silver Spring."  _Just for Chris, really_ , he thought to himself. “It’s a cover of one of my big influences, Mr. Sam Cooke.” He grinned as his words were punctuated with an approving roar from the crowd. “And for those of you who don’t know who that is, don’t admit it. Go home, look it up, and do yourself a huge favor and listen to him,” he deadpanned, drawing a big laugh from his more music savvy fans. 

His fingers flew over the guitar strings as he strummed the opening few chords. He closed his eyes, thought of Chris, and began to [sing](http://lovetheblazer.tumblr.com/post/54328187245/bring-it-on-home-to-me-acoustic-listen-up). 

_If you ever change your mind_   
_About leaving, leaving me behind_   
_Oh-oh, bring it to me_   
_Bring your sweet loving_   
_Bring it on home to me_


End file.
